Meet the Gang

Jason Samenow – Chief Meteorologist

Jason Samenow is the Washington Post’s Weather Editor. He founded CapitalWeather.com in early 2004, the first professional weather blog on the Internet which was absorbed by the Post in 2008 and became the Capital Weather Gang, which he has since led. A native Washingtonian, Jason Samenow has been a weather enthusiast since age 10 (1987). Before graduating from high school, he interned for NBC4 chief meteorologist Bob Ryan. At the University of Virginia, he earned a degree in environmental science, focusing in atmospheric science. He went on to earn a master’s degree in atmospheric science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000.

Angela Fritz – Lead Meteorologist

Angela Fritz is an atmospheric scientist who hails from the city of rock and roll and burning rivers – Cleveland, Ohio. She knew from a young age that weather was her true calling. She received her B.S. in meteorology from Valparaiso University, and then attended the Georgia Institute of Technology for her M.S. in earth and atmospheric science. While at Georgia Tech, she focused on hurricanes and climate change, and the intersection of the two. Angela has previously worked as a meteorologist at CNN and Weather Underground. She joined the Washington Post in 2014 as the Deputy Weather Editor. When she’s not forecasting hurricanes or reading the latest climate science papers, Angela enjoys outdoor adventures, public transportation, and Oxford commas. Follow Angela on Twitter.

Dan Stillman – Lead Meteorologist

Weather and Washington are two of Dan Stillman’s greatest passions. The excitement of snow days and two-hour delays are what first got him hooked on tracking lows and highs across the country. After graduating from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md., he went on to earn a B.S. in atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences from the University of Michigan (and like most Michigan grads is still obsessed with everything Wolverines), and a master’s degree in meteorology from Texas A&M University. He also has a background in journalism and enjoys combining his love for weather with his writing skills. Dan has been published in the Washington Post, Weatherwise Magazine and elsewhere, and served as editor for NBC4 chief meteorologist Bob Ryan’s 2005 Almanac and Guide for the Weatherwise. He is also a Weather and Society Integrated Studies Fellow. Dan lives with his wife, Debbie, and sons, Matthew and Adam, in Rockville, Md.

Ian Livingston – Information Lead, Photographer/Forecaster

Ian Livingston (on Twitter) has lived in Washington since early 2006, having moved to the area shortly after graduating from the University of Connecticut. While residing in New England, Ian was trained as a SKYWARN spotter, and his self-education in meteorology has been ongoing since he first witnessed snow at his childhood home in the southern California desert. During college, he created a website focused on forecasting upcoming weather conditions on and around campus. Ian has also co-developed several premier weather discussion forums, the most recent being AmericanWx.com, which replaced the Eastern U.S. Weather Forums (founded ’04) in late 2010. Photography became a natural offshoot of his love for weather, and he has acquired a greater knowledge of both — and how they intersect — while out in the field. In 2010, he wrote, with Kevin Ambrose, “Snowmageddon: Washington’s Record-breaking Winter of 2009-10,” a photographic and meteorological recap of D.C.’s snowiest winter. Ian was drawn to the region by his interest in foreign affairs, current events and politics. He is presently a foreign policy researcher at the Brookings Institution.

A. Camden Walker – Engagement Lead, Meteorologist

As a youngster, A. Camden Walker found looking upward at the atmosphere to be an enthralling experience. It hasn’t stopped. From striving to learn all of the cloud types, reading almanacs, and earning the weather merit badge, today he wants to engage further with an audience curious about how weather influences them and why the atmosphere behaves as it does. Weather is a daily experience for almost everyone and he loves the sociological and psychological aspects to meteorology. From UV rays, to snowstorms, to tropical cyclogenesis (the development and strengthening of tropical cyclones) he does not want to stop learning. He continues to dabble in nature photography especially when travelling abroad. Camden has a bachelor’s in atmospheric science from the University of Virginia. To be a better educator, he is pursuing the Multimedia Journalism Certificate from the University of Maryland (2015). Camden previously spent time in Atlanta interning and going through on-air training at The Weather Channel. He now has long lived in the District, because the city is in his family’s blood and it continues to resonate with him. He’ll also admit to the city’s perfect positioning on the North American continent, giving it an exciting mix of mid-latitude weather!

DAILY FORECASTERS

Brian Jackson – Meteorologist (Sunday)

Brian Jackson was initiated into the Gang in 2008. A transplant to the area, he was born and raised in Upstate New York where he spent many of his formative years shoveling out from lake effect snows. Those snows, and a freak ice storm in 1991, helped to jumpstart his interest in the weather. Two significant, possibly related, events took place for Brian in 2000: he headed off to attend college at the State University of New York at Oneonta, and his father purchased a snowblower. After receiving bachelor of science in meteorology in 2004, he decided a change in climate was necessary and enrolled in the graduate program at Florida State University, where he received a masters in meteorology in 2007. His thesis work on tropical convection over the African continent led to a seamless transition into his current position with NOAA, monitoring snow cover and sea/lake ice at the National Ice Center. Brian lives and plays with his wife and daughter in Howard County, Md., where he enjoys taking advantage of the area’s running trails, playing soccer, and exploring the region’s growing craft beer culture — though not all at once — while waiting for the next model runs to come in.

Greg Porter – Meteorologist (Weekend P.M.-updates)

Greg Porter has been a weather nerd pretty much from birth. Growing up in Boston provided Greg with a litany of interesting weather to solidify his love of the atmosphere. As a child, Greg started a weather watchers group with neighborhood children, albeit on a small dead end street. He still monitors the weather station he installed on the roof of his parents house. Greg’s passion for meteorology continued to grow throughout the years, leading him to University of Massachusetts-Lowell where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology followed by a Master of Science degree in meteorology from the University of Maryland. Greg currently works as an aviation meteorology consultant in Washington D.C. Greg has several years of forecasting and science writing experience, including internships with the National Weather Service. However, regardless of how many degrees or experience Greg receives in the field of meteorology, his father will always insist his own snowfall forecast is correct. Follow Greg on Twitter.

Matt Rogers – Meteorologist (Tuesday)

Matt Rogers is a meteorologist and Washington, D.C. (Petworth) resident. He is President and co-founder of the Commodity Weather Group in Bethesda, Md., which focuses on weather risks for the energy and agriculture sectors. Matt was previously the Director of Weather for MDA EarthSat Weather in Rockville, Md., and he has consulted for the energy sector for over 20 years. Matt earned a B.S. degree in meteorology from Penn State University (1994) and an MBA from George Mason University (2001). Like most meteorologists, his passion for weather started extremely early in life and has never let go.

David Streit – Meteorologist (Thursday)

David Streit is a 1978 graduate of the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Science in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and a 1981 graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a Master of Science in Meteorology. David’s roles at MDA EarthSat included Manager of Agricultural Weather Services and head of European Energy and Agricultural Services. Prior to MDA EarthSat, David utilized his weather background to develop commodity trading strategies for EF Hutton in New York City beginning in 1981. In 2009, David was one of five co-founders to establish the rapidly-growing Commodity Weather Group (CWG) in Bethesda, MD. CWG provides meteorological consultative support for both energy and agricultural commodity concerns. David has spoken throughout the U.S. and Europe, discussing research topics that analyze the impacts of weather to energy and agricultural commodities. His current endeavors include developing new and innovative medium- and long-range forecasting techniques in order to provide more valuable and unique forecast content to the commodities industry. David also has appeared on Reuters Television and Fox Business Network, providing interviews related to weather impacts to the commodities markets.

Jeffrey Halverson – Severe Weather Expert

Jeff grew up in the Mid-Atlantic region and became attuned to the vagaries of our weather and climate at a very early age. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science at the University of Virginia in 1994, then assumed a post-doc under Dr. Joanne Simpson at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He is currently a Professor at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) where he teaches courses on Meteorology, Severe Storms and Climate Change. He and his team of graduate students investigate severe storms, particularly hurricanes. Jeff has authored nearly 50 scientific publications and has appeared in science documentaries aired by NOVA, National Geographic and The Discovery Channel. He has been a columnist and assistant editor for Weatherwise Magazine since 2002. Jeff’s favorite type of storm is a hurricane undergoing extratropical transition in the Mid Atlantic…but he also loves a big snowstorm!

Wes Junker – Winter Weather Expert

Wes was born and raised in the Washington metro area. He first became interested in weather before he was 10 years old because of his love of snow. He has degree in physics from Lenoir Rhyne College and attended Penn State as a graduate student in meteorology. He worked for over 30 years as an operational meteorologist mostly at the NWS’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. During his career he has written articles and/or given presentations on such diverse topics as forecasting snow, extreme rainfall events, and quantitative precipitation forecasting problems. He is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Fellow, is a past Chairman of AMS Weather and Forecasting Committee and was President of the National Weather Association (NWA). Mr. Junker has received a number of awards from the National Weather Association (NWA), the AMS, and NOAA, including the NWA Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award in 2002, and the AMS Award for Exceptional Specific Prediction for his forecast of the record Midwest snowstorm of October 18 and 19, 1989. Since his retirement he has continued his interest in meteorology frequently posting on the American Weather discussion forums.

Joe Kunches – Space Weather Expert

Joe became interested in space when, as a grade-schooler in St. Charles Illinois, he heard NASA’s John “Shorty” Powers’ describe the drama of the Mercury launches over the school PA system. His sights were set on becoming an astronaut. After receiving a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, it became clear that less than perfect vision would squash the astronaut dream. But in the SKYLAB era, he was fortunate, while a NOAA Corps officer, to work as a space weather forecaster at Johnson Space Center, briefing the scientists on the space weather they wished to observe. Following an M.B.S. from the University of Colorado-Boulder, he continued a career in space weather, first as the lead forecaster and then the Chief of Operations at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, spanning over 5 solar cycles. He lives with his wife Linda in Niwot, Colorado.

Brian McNoldy – Hurricane Expert

Brian McNoldy was born and raised in Reading, Pa., where his interest in weather was sparked at age 7 by the big Nor’easter snowstorm of February 1983, and then further piqued by Hurricane Gloria in September 1985. He earned his B.A. in physics and astronomy from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa. in 1998, held an internship at NASA Goddard in Greenbelt, Md. in the summer of 1997, then went on to graduate school where he completed his M.S. in atmospheric science at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Co. in 2001. He spent the next ten years working at CSU’s Department of Atmospheric Science conducting research on a multitude of tropical cyclone topics. Brian has maintained his own blog on tropical Atlantic activity since 1996, and was selected as one of four hurricane experts for the New York Times blog from 2007-2010. In 2012, Brian took a position at the University of Miami’s world-renowned Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) to continue his career in tropical cyclone research. His website hosted at RSMAS is also quite popular during hurricane season.

WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kevin Ambrose – Senior Writer/Photographer

Kevin Ambrose is the author of “Washington Weather,” “Blizzards and Snowstorms of Washington, D.C.” and “Great Blizzards of New York City.” Ambrose is also a professional photographer and avid storm chaser, specializing in photography of Washington, D.C. area snowstorms, cherry blossoms, sunrises, sunsets, storms and lightning. He holds a B.S. in computer science from the University of Virginia and currently works as an account executive for Adobe. Kevin’s interests include weather forecasting, history, archeology and running. Kevin, his wife Elisa and their two children live in Northern Virginia. His photography and books can be found at his Web site, WashingtonPrints.com.

Matthew Cappucci – Writer

Matthew Cappucci is a junior at Harvard University, studying atmospheric sciences, a program that he created himself. Matthew has been enthralled with meteorology as long as he can remember, and first presented at the American Meteorological Society’s annual conference when he was fifteen. Since then, he has written for a number of publications and recently served as the student member on the American Meteorological Society’s Board on Broadcast Meteorology. He loves the challenge of forecasting all types of weather, but prefers severe thunderstorms above all. He enjoys traveling, and hopes to visit a new place every year for his entire life. Follow Matthew on Twitter, @MatthewCappucci.

Blaine Friedlander – Astronomy Writer

Blaine Friedlander, a native Washingtonian, has written the Post’s Sky Watch since Fall 1986. He grew up in Falls Church and graduated from George C. Marshall High School. Also, he attended Northwestern University’s National High School Institute for Journalism, Evanston, Ill., and he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. He was a longtime senior science writer for the Cornell University News Service, and currently serves as assistant director of the Cornell Press Office. He lives in a dark sky location in Ithaca, N.Y.

Phil Klotzbach – Hurricane Specialist

Phil Klotzbach is a research scientist at Colorado State University where he has been employed for the past 15 years and earned his Ph.D. in atmospheric science (in 2007). At CSU, he has co-authored the Atlantic basin hurricane forecasts with Dr. William Gray. He has published over 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Climate and Weather and Forecasting. After receiving his master’s degree at CSU in 2002, Klotzbach thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. He has also climbed all 54 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado, and has completed eight marathons and five ultra-marathons.

Bryan Norcross – Hurricane Specialist

Bryan Norcross is Senior Hurricane Specialist at The Weather Channel. Bryan became nationally known after he “talked South Florida through” Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Through 2008 he was the inhouse hurricane analyst for CBS News in New York and anchored the coverage of numerous hurricanes for CBS and NBC in Miami. After Hurricane Andrew, Bryan was named an Expert Adviser to multiple committees tasked with improving the emergency-preparedness and insurance systems in Florida by the state’s governor. Bryan has received multiple awards, including DuPont and Peabody awards. He was also recognized with designations of Bryan Norcross Days in Miami, Miami Beach, and Ft. Lauderdale. Bryan’s new book, My Hurricane Andrew Story was released in 2017.

Jordan Tessler – Graphic/map designer

Jordan Tessler was raised in Rockville and became interested in weather after experiencing the Blizzard of 1996. Coupled with an interest in natural sciences, he’s gained a passion and respect for the power of nature and the effects they have. After a rebuilding trip to New Orleans post-Katrina he decided to pursue environmental sciences and emergency management. Experiences involving tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms, and earthquakes led him to launch a weather information page for the University of Maryland in September 2011. He’s a graduate of the University of Maryland earning a degree in Geography and a minor in Geographic Information Systems. He hopes to use his knowledge in GIS to further emergency management and disaster preparation. He posts information about current and future weather events on Facebook and Twitter.

OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

John Hopewell – Earth Science Specialist/Writer

John has been fascinated by the weather for as long as he can remember. In the third grade he convinced his parents to get him a subscription to USA Today just for the colorful full-page weather spreads. He grew up in Northern Virginia, but as an avid outdoorsman he was drawn out west for college. Skiing the “cold smoke,” fishing pristine rivers, and hiking in and around Yellowstone made Montana State University the perfect choice. After earning a B.S. in Physical Geography, he spent a winter as a weather observer in training at the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire. That led to a three year stint with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), at the Research Applications lab in Boulder, Colorado. In 2002, he moved to the Netherlands to pursue his Master’s focusing on Environment and Development at the University of Amsterdam. He has spent the last decade back in Washington, D.C., working in environmental affairs for a trade association. John is a SKYWARN spotter and personal forecaster for family and friends.

Justin Grieser – Writer

Justin Grieser is a D.C. area native whose fascination with weather and climate patterns has largely been a self-taught hobby. Born and raised in Alexandria, Va., he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia with a double major in Linguistics and French. Justin attributes his interest in meteorology to extensive childhood travels throughout Europe and North America, during which he noticed sun angle differences depending on his current latitude. From an early age, he enjoyed escaping D.C.’s oppressive summer heat during family vacations to his mother’s homeland in the Austrian Alps. As a snow enthusiast, Justin was disappointed to miss D.C.’s historic 2009-2010 winter while teaching English in France. Yet he avidly followed the Capital Weather Gang and its extensive coverage of Snowmageddon while living abroad. In addition to his self-taught background in meteorology, Justin has completed coursework on climate systems and severe weather at George Mason University. Fluent in German, French, and several other languages, Justin aspires to combine his passion for both the natural and social sciences in a policy-oriented line of work.

Rick Grow – Writer/Meteorologist

Rick Grow grew up in Southern Maryland and first fell in love with weather during the Blizzard of 96. Whether he was building snow igloos, wreaking havoc as King of the Hill or sledding head-first into frozen creeks, Rick realized the beauty and wonderment of the atmosphere. At Westlake High School in Waldorf, Md., Rick developed a strong interest in writing and volunteered as a sports reporter for The Maryland Independent, a Charles County newspaper. He then attended the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, studying there for two years. For a radio broadcasting class assignment, Rick interviewed ABC7 Chief Meteorologist Doug Hill on his career, and attributes his confidence in pursuing a meteorology degree to the words spoken to him at that interview. Rick later interned at ABC7 under Hill and served as a volunteer at the NWS forecast office serving Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C. while a transfer student at UNC Asheville, where he earned a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences. He is an operational meteorologist with MDA Information Systems LLC in Gaithersburg. There, Rick forecasts the weather and assesses risk for clients with interests in the energy and financial sector. He is also a student enrolled in Mississippi State University’s Applied Meteorology program, and expects to earn a master’s degree in 2015.

Matt Ross – Seasonal Forecaster

Matt Ross has been interested in weather since early childhood, including a specific fascination with snowstorms and extreme weather events. Although he passed on a career as a meteorologist, his enthusiasm for both weather and statistics, particularly related to the D.C. area’s local climate, continues to strengthen as he gets older. Frustrated with the region’s lack of snow, Matt has been known to chase after the white stuff, including recent trips to northern New England and the Tug Hill region of New York during major snow events. Of particular interest to Matt is the study of analogs, or past weather data as a means of predicting long-range seasonal patterns. Matt owns a legal staffing agency and resides in Mt. Pleasant.

Jack Williams – Writer

In the late 1970s Jack Williams earned a pilot’s license, which triggered his latent interest in weather. At the time he was a copy editor at the Gannett’s Company’s Rochester, N.Y. Democrat and Chronicle. He began studying meteorology at a local college and writing a weekly weather column. In 1981 Gannett asked Williams to work on prototypes for USA TODAY. When the paper began publication in 1982 he was its weather editor. Williams covered not only weather but also reported polar science, including from Antarctica and Greenland. He is the author or co-author of seven books, five on weather, one on the polar regions, and the “The Field Guide to the Water’s Edge,” which National Geographic is publishing in the spring of 2012. Jack was elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society in 2014.

Dan StillmanDan Stillman is a meteorologist and editor for the Capital Weather Gang. He earned an M.S. in Meteorology from Texas A&M University, and a B.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences from the University of Michigan. Follow